Alondil
by Falkyn
Summary: Story. I write. You read. Review. 'Nuff said.


A/N: Well, I'm getting pretty annoyed with having to format the paragraphs every chapter I write, so I'm going to try a new format. If I like it, I'll continue using it. If not, I'll go back to the boring, dull, dreary, tedious, and mind-numbingly tiresome original way. I love synonyms.

Disclaimer: I don't own the rights to the Bartimaeus Trilogy. However, I do own one of the characters in this story. However, he's mine. So don't use him!

I was floating around in the Other Place, completely and utterly relaxed when I felt it. That inexorable, inescapable, relentless, persistent tug on my essence that meant someone was summoning me.

Instead of wasting precious time trying to resist like some of the lesser spirits, I spend my last few seconds in the other place thinking of what form I should take upon arrival. I decided upon a particular favorite of mine. It had quite a shock factor with newer magicians, though I don't think I would be summoned by any magician under the fifth level. You see, I'm an afrit. I'm more powerful than any djinni, and just plain smarter than most marids. All ready, I surrendered to the summoning, and prepared to enter the human world.

Immediately upon entering the pentacle, I threw up smoke around the room and took the form of a being who was half human, half bird. I put particular emphasis on the bird parts this time, because I was cranky at being summoned. I had the head of a falcon, a human torso with wings sprouting out of the back, and strong, muscular, feathered legs that bent back at the knee like a bird's.

"WHAT MORTAL DARES DISTURB THE GREAT AND POWERFUL ALONDIL?" I shouted, flapping my wings once for dramatic effect. As I suspected, the magician who summoned me was not fazed in the least bit. She had experience.

"Is that the best you can do?" she asked. "I was expecting something a little bit scarier from an afrit. I've seen better guises on imps."

"At least I'm original. None of those minotaurs or wolfmen for me. They're way too overused."

"I agree. However, I didn't summon you to chat." Wow, I hadn't even spent five minutes here and already I hated this woman more than I hate most magicians. "I summoned you to do my bidding, and since you have not asked what that is yet, I shall have to punish you." She dropped her voice and murmured the words for the Red-Hot Stipples.

I gasped and shuddered as pain racked my body. I'm sorry, did I say _most_ magicians? I meant more than all other magicians. "Now that I have your attention, ask me what my bidding is," she said when she was through making my time here on Earth miserable.

"Or you could save us both time and just tell me what it is," I replied with as much patience as I could muster, which wasn't much. Again, she gave me the Stipples. I'm sorry, did I say more than all other magicians? I meant more than all other magicians put together.

"Shall we try that again?" she asked smugly.

"Fine. What is your bidding?" _Again_, she gave me the Stipples. "Ow! What'd I do that time?"

"What is your bidding, _what_?" she said with a touch of impatience.

"What is your bidding, can I go free?" I replied defiantly. Yet again, I got the Stipples. I'm sorry, did I say more than all other magicians put together? I meant more than…Sorry, I've run out of analogies. I just _really_ hated her.

"Alright! Alright! Just cut it out with the punishment. What is your bidding, _my master_?"

"That's better. Now that you've learned some respect, I have a task for you." I rolled my eyes, not daring to say anything lest I get punished for my "impertinence" again. Seriously, I was being nice compared to what she had put me through. Of course she had a task for me. I wouldn't have been summoned otherwise.

"What is this task, master?" I asked when she paused.

"I need you to help me get revenge on a certain…acquaintance of mine. Her name is Kitty Jones."

A/N: Ooh! Cliffhanger-y. Oh, by the way, in case you were wondering, Alondil is my original character. Review, okay people. See you all later.


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